BREAKING NEWS ~ Terri Schiavo has died

10:02 AM ET - Terri Schiavo's death comes nearly 14 days after removal of her feeding tube. Her death has been confirmed by George Felos, attorney for Terri's husband Michael Schiavo. News reports are giving her time of death as just after 9 AM ET.

10:17 AM ET - AP now has a full story. NBC WFLA-TV in Tampa has posted recorded video of the breaking news flash and the death announcement by Schindler family spokesman Father Paul O'Donnell.

11:45 AM ET - President Bush said the nation has been saddened by Terri Schiavo's death and that "the strong have a duty to protect the weak." Watch recorded video from NBC WFLA-TV in Tampa.

3:30 PM ET - US House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner has issued a statement on Schiavo's death [text] criticizing the courts' reaction to Pub. L. 109-3 [text, JURIST report], the bill passed by Congress allowing the federal courts to review Schiavo's case:

Congress in a bipartisan fashion took up Terri's cause and met in extraordinary session to provide Terri with an opportunity for a new, full, and fresh review in federal court of her right to receive life-sustaining treatment. Regrettably, this effort did not receive the court review the law requires.

House Majority Leader Tom Delay [official website] also spoke out against the judiciary Thursday, saying that Schiavo's death "happened because our legal system did not protect the people who need protection most, and that will change. The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior...." AP has more.

About Paper Chase

Paper Chase is JURIST's real-time legal news service, powered by a team of 30 law student reporters and editors led by law professor Bernard Hibbitts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. As an educational service, Paper Chase is dedicated to presenting important legal news and materials rapidly, objectively and intelligibly in an accessible format.